Kabobo Massif | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 2,701 m (8,862 ft) |
Coordinates | 05°08′12″S29°03′13″E / 5.13667°S 29.05361°E |
Geography | |
Location | Tanganyika and South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
The Kabobo Massif (Mitsoshi-Kabogo or Kabogo Massif) is a mountain region in Tanganyika and South Kivu Provinces, Democratic Republic of the Congo known for its unique flora and fauna. One of its most prominent peaks is Mount Kabobo (also known as Mount Kabogo), while another is known as Misotshi. While Misotshi-Kabogo appears to be a more appropriate name for the massif, it is most commonly referred to in the literature by the misinterpreted name Kabobo.
Kabobo Massif has four peaks, Kabili, Kabobo (Kabogo or Ngamikka), Ngandja, and Misotshi. [1]
There is apparently no widely accepted local name for the mountain range, with most reports referring to the region by the Belgian misnomer Kabobo, the more appropriate Babembe Kabogo, or as Misotshi-Kabogo. [2] The name Misotshi-Kabogo comes from the most important sacred peak for the Babembe people (Misotshi) and after a peak near the headwaters of the Kabogo river. [2] It is reported that the name Kabobo was a misinterpretation of the name Kabogo by the Belgians, with Kabogo being the Babembe word for "power" and a reference to a spirit that resides in the Kabogo river. [2]
The massif is dominated by montane forest and is among Africa's most biodiverse sites. [3] [4] The massif is recognized as the Mount Kabobo Important Bird Area (CD015). [5] As of 2017, some 1,410 species of plants and 558 species of terrestrial vertebrates had been documented in Kabobo Massif. [1] The region is considered unique in the present day for its large extent of intact montane forest, and for the fact that intact forest exists from at or near lake level to the highest elevations. [2]
Several taxa are endemic to the massif, and the area is considered a biodiversity hotspot by conservation authorities. [5] More research is needed to clarify how many unique populations and subspecies occur within the region.
Genetic analyses on the birds of the massif indicate that there is unrecognized diversity in the region, and that several presently recognized subspecies may be worthy of species recognition. [6] The following species are endemic to the massif: [7]
Additionally, the following subspecies are also wholly endemic to the massif [8]
The following subspecies are endemic to the massif (note that this list is incomplete as of February 2023):
The following species are endemic to the massif (note that this list is incomplete as of February 2023):
The region is relatively intact, but artisanal gold mining in the region has been considered a threat to local biodiversity. [2] Local taboos associated with the sacred peak Misotshi discourage the hunting of chimpanzees and discourage local deforestation. [2]
Virunga National Park is a national park in the Albertine Rift Valley in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was created in 1925. In elevation, it ranges from 680 m (2,230 ft) in the Semliki River valley to 5,109 m (16,762 ft) in the Rwenzori Mountains. From north to south it extends approximately 300 km (190 mi), largely along the international borders with Uganda and Rwanda in the east. It covers an area of 8,090 km2 (3,120 sq mi).
Sibuyan is a crescent-shaped island, the second largest in an archipelago comprising Romblon Province, Philippines. Located in the namesake Sibuyan Sea, it has an area of 445 square kilometres (172 sq mi) and has a total population of 62,815, as of the 2020 census. The island has two prominent peaks, the highest is Mount Guiting-Guiting, with an elevation of 2,058 metres (6,752 ft), followed by Mount Nailog, which is 789 metres (2,589 ft) high. The people speak the Sibuyanon dialect of Romblomanon, a Visayan language.
The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below 1,500 m (4,900 ft), while the summits reach heights of up to 4,550 m (14,930 ft). It is sometimes called the "Roof of Africa" due to its height and large area. It is the only country in the region with such a high elevated surface. This elevated surface is bisected diagonally by the Great East African Rift System which extends from Syria to Mozambique across the East African Lakes. Most of the Ethiopian Highlands are part of central and northern Ethiopia, and its northernmost portion reaches into Eritrea.
The Nyungwe Forest is located in southwestern Rwanda, on the border with Burundi, where it is contiguous with the Kibira National Park to the south, and Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The Nyungwe rainforest is probably the best preserved montane rainforest in Africa. It is located in the watershed between the basin of the Congo River to the west and the basin of the river Nile to the east. From the east side of the Nyungwe forest comes also one of the branches of the Nile sources.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a national park in southwestern Uganda. It was created in 1991 and covers an area of 33.9 km2 (13.1 sq mi).
The Taita Hills, sometimes also spelled as Teita Hills, are a mountain range located in the Taita-Taveta County in south-eastern Kenya. The hills consist of three massifs: Dawida, Sagalla in the southern side of Voi township and Kasigau in the south near the border of Tanzania. The Dawida massif is the largest and tallest of the three, with an altitude of 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level at its highest peak, Vuria. Dawida has three other main peaks: Iyale, Wesu, and Susu.
The Cameroonian Highlands forests, also known as the Cameroon Highlands forests, is a montane tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion located on the range of mountains that runs inland from the Gulf of Guinea and forms the border between Cameroon and Nigeria. This is an area of forest and grassland which has become more populous as land is cleared for agriculture.
The Namuli apalis is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus Apalis in the family Cisticolidae. It was formerly considered as a subspecies of the bar-throated apalis.
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Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve is a nature reserve founded in 1927 in Malawi. The reserve covers 56,317 hectares. It is operated by the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust. The reserve was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2000.
The Chirinda apalis is a species of passerine bird belonging to the family Cisticolidae. This species is endemic to the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
The Kabobo apalis is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is endemic to the Kabobo Massif in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forests.
The long-billed forest warbler, also known as the long-billed tailorbird, is a songbird of the family Cisticolidae, formerly part of the "Old World warbler" assemblage. It is found in Tanzania and Mozambique. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat destruction.
The chestnut-throated apalis is a species of bird in the cisticola family Cisticolidae. The Kabobo apalis, originally described as a distinct species, is usually treated as a subspecies A. p. kaboboensis of the chestnut-throated apalis today. It is itself sometimes considered to be the same species as the Chapin's apalis.
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Alexandre Romanovich Prigogine was a Belgian mineralogist and ornithologist of Russian-Jewish origin.
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